Brad Pitt Wins Joint Custody in Divorce Battle with Angelina Jolie

There is a major development in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce.

After nearly five years, Page Six reports Brad just won joint custody of their five minor children.

A source tells the paper that Judge John Ouderkirk’s decision is “tentative,” and that Jolie will continue to fight Pitt in court. The couple hired the private judge to oversee the case, and he reportedly based his decision on witness testimony and the testimony of child services professionals who had interviewed the couple’s children.

Another insider added insight, saying, “There was a significant change made in the custody agreements based on an extremely detailed decision made by the judge. Brad was just trying to have more time with his kids — and it has been clear that Angie has done everything possible to prevent this.”

The source continued, “This trial lasted for several months and there were a f–k ton of witnesses, experts, therapists and other people who have been with the kids and around them, and the decision was based on this.”

Shedding light on Jolie’s side of the matter, a different insider said, “Joint custody is not the issue that Angelina objects to, there were other issues of concern, but the court proceedings are closed and sealed.”

Jolie is in the process of trying to disqualify Ouderkirk. If she’s successful, this “tentative” custody decision could be overturned.

On Monday, Angelina submitted a court filing, saying the judge had not allowed her children to testify, despite a California code indicating teens 14 or older should be allowed to.

In court docs obtained by “Extra,” she claimed the judge, “refused to hear the minor teenagers’ input as to their experiences, needs, or wishes as to their custody fate.”

The exes are the parents of minors Pax, 17, Zahara, 16, Shiloh, 14 and twins Vivienne and Knox, 12. Maddox, 19, is not part of the custody battle.

Angelina filed for divorce in 2016, and both stars have spoken out about the split over the years.

In 2017, Jolie told Vanity Fair how rough the breakup had been, saying, “I think it's very important to cry in the shower and not in front of [the children]. They need to know that everything's going to be all right even when you're not sure it is.”

She said things got “difficult” in 2016, and “We're all just healing from the events that led to the filing… They're not healing from divorce. They're healing from some… from life, from things in life.”

Brad also spoke out about the split in 2017. He told GQ, “We're both doing our best. I heard one lawyer say, 'No one wins in court — it's just a matter of who gets hurt worse.' And it seems to be true, you spend a year just focused on building a case to prove your point and why you're right and why they're wrong, and it's just an investment in vitriolic hatred. I just refuse. And fortunately my partner in this agrees. It's just very, very jarring for the kids, to suddenly have their family ripped apart.”